A Sojourn into Darkness
by The Prince of Persia
Summary: In a time when things should have been set right, everything is falling apart as a new menace subtly makes his mark on everyone.


Authors note: This was part of a project to see how outof-character I could make famous Disney Characters while still maintaining a workable plot. This is the first installment. Please read and review, no flaming. Flamers will be summarily tortured. None of these characters belong to me.

**A Sojourn into Darkness**

Riku sat in a tree, staring at an ocean. But, not _his_ tree, and not _his_ ocean. He bit into the pear that he had been given, and noticed, for the first time in a _long_ time, the flavour and texture of the very ordinary fruit. It was almost paradise to think about the ocean, and taste the slightly grainy fruit, and to forget, for a few precious moments as he savoured the juice, that Maleficent even existed. Of course, she _shouldn't_ exist, which made it all quite complicated. Sora had defeated her long ago, nearly sacrificing everything to do so.

Riku couldn't explain how or why she had come back, or why she always disappeared whenever someone unexpectedly walked in on them. He'd asked her once, but she had slipped out of answering the question, and ever since, he almost magically forgot to ask when she was around. The closest thing to an answer he'd received was "You are the key, Riku." He'd wanted to press her on that, but she had deftly changed the subject, and that had been that.

Talking wasn't all they did, but it was what they did most frequently. There had been times like the one when she had shown him the strange bastion that seemed to be made entirely of crystals, and he'd pretended not to notice the overwhelming feeling of darkness that permeated the entire citadel.

Ever since his visit there, Riku was sure that he was changing. He found himself more and more frequently doing as she asked without really thinking about it. It wasn't as if he felt more darkness inside himself than he was accustomed to; it was more as if he just obeyed her more readily, and didn't think about it until later, after she was gone. He remembered that encounter less clearly than most, as well. It all seemed like a blur to him, except for the grapes. _That_ remained as clear as glass.

They had been strolling in the lavish gardens, and had stopped to make a sort of game of sneaking grapes off the heavy-laden vines. Riku had started it by snatching a large, ripe grape off of the vine when Maleficent's back was turned, but timed so that she might catch a glimpse of the motion out of the corner of her eye. He had half expected for her to chastise him for his childish behaviour, or to simply give him a sharp look of admonishment, but instead, she had, to his astonishment, joined him in his game, pretending to turn suddenly, just a moment too late. He grinned, playing at innocence, and jauntily walked past her. He had expected that to be the end of it, but then he noted, with some incredulity, that Maleficent had just as sneakily taken a grape and popped it in her mouth. He turned quickly, but didn't quite catch her in time to prove what he thought he'd seen, so he decided that it had probably been a trick of the light or something. He couldn't even imagine that _Maleficent_, of all people, would be playing such a childish game. He looked intently at her as she walked past him just as innocently as he had. He had impulsively repeated the actions of the game, and she had turned, not quite catching him in the act, and this continued for a while, until Riku turned just quickly enough to see Maleficent eating her grape.

It was the first time that Riku had laughed in several months. They had been the juiciest grapes he'd ever had, and he had been having fun. But despite the laughter and playfulness passing between them, he'd had the strange idea that he'd never been so far away from King Mickey and the light of Kingdom Hearts as he had been in that bastion eating those grapes. It felt almost like the whole experience was tainted somehow.

"Riku."

He didn't turn at the sound of his name on her lips, but something inside him wanted to. "Maleficent." He continued to stare out at the ocean, acknowledging her only with words.

"You seem so melancholy. Perhaps we can find a solution for you."

He still didn't look at her as he answered. "What did you have in mind?"

"The Jewelled Palace."

Riku felt a strangely alien thrill of exhilaration at the prospect of returning there. Finally, he turned to look at the tall, imposing fairy before him. "All right. Let's go."

Being back in the Jewelled Palace was a distressingly pleasurable experience for Riku. He disliked the feeling that the encompassing darkness gave him, as if it would start permeating his skin, and infuse itself into his very soul. Yet, at the same time, it didn't bother him very much, almost as if it were a sensation to which he had grown accustomed. _A sensation_, a small voice in the back of his mind reminded him, _which he had grown accustomed to in his time with Ansem_. He pushed this thought to the very blackest part of his mind and determined to enjoy his time here. After all, he told himself, it _was_ intended to relieve his depression, right?

Walking alongside Maleficent was a rhythm he fell back into with alarming ease. Her footsteps and his soon fell into a matching cadence that clicked almost cheerfully in the crystalline hallways, and lulled his thoughts into a sleepy sort of emptiness. It almost reminded him of Castle Oblivion, but that thought, too, was soon lost.

Maleficent's voice eventually penetrated his brain. "Riku, are you paying attention?"

His head snapped up to look at her. "I'm sorry." _It's not like you to apologise to the likes of her_, the tiny voice in his head informed him, but he again squashed it down.

"It's quite all right, but I think that the princess will have to repeat herself."

Riku looked over in the direction that the fairy had indicated, and his eyes widened. Before him stood the single most royal-looking princess he thought he had ever seen. She was decked out in a flowing blue and white gown, but strangely wore her blond hair loose with only a simple blue headband. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing. She looked like she wanted to giggle, but instead watched him, and then smiled fondly at him as he rose. He tried not to stare, but there was something very familiar about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Well, now that you are listening to me, shall I continue?" This time, she _did_ let a small giggle escape. "I am in need of some help here at the palace… I was just informing Mademoiselle Maleficent of that. I was hoping that I could convince you to join our staff."

"What kind of help are you looking for?" he asked, searching her face closely. Maleficent remained silent as the princess answered.

"All sorts. We seem to have recently lost much of our staff. It is of great concern to us, of course, but this is a large castle, and we need to replace them quickly. What I had in mind for you was a kind of butler position, so you'd be in charge of others, but also serving as a personal valet."

Riku hated the idea of being someone's servant. It was so much against his personality that his immediate inclination was to turn her down rather harshly. But he stopped himself to think further about the offer. He had been looking for a change of pace, and this would definitely qualify. If he didn't like it, he supposed he could just move on to something else.

It also occurred to him to ask just how they had lost a majority of the staff. It seemed like such a strange thing to have lost, really.

"You _lost_ your staff?" His tone was incredulous, but a little disaffected. This vaguely reminded him of something… maybe a movie he'd seen once, or something similar.

"Well, yes," the princess replied, her voice again striking a chord inside him. _You know that voice, Riku. Why can't you remember?_ "They just… disappeared one day. It's all very strange. They didn't even leave a trace."

Riku looked at her for a while, then glanced at Maleficent, hoping that she'd have some sort of advice to offer. She nodded her head slightly, and remained silent. He returned his gaze to the princess and, at long last, answered. "All right. I'll do it. When do I start?"

The princess looked very relieved. "Today, if you'd like." She gestured toward a door behind him. "That door leads to the servant quarters… don't worry. They're quite grand. You'll find some of what's left of our staff there. They should be happy to show you around. Of course, you'll be personal valet to the queen, in addition to over-seeing the rest of the staff. The people we have now are quite efficient, and shan't need much looking after, but as we acquire new people, you will be expected to make sure that things run smoothly."

"When will I meet the queen?"

"At dinner tonight. You will be dining with us tonight, and starting your duties tomorrow. Today is for training and introductions. Besides, as her personal valet, you'll find that you are practically a member of the royal family." She giggled lightly and continued. "You'll often be eating with us."

Maleficent spoke, after all her silence. "As I know Queen Anastasia, she wouldn't have it any other way."

The princess nodded in agreement. "Also, you'll find that you often have to work closely with her handmaid, Asmi. She's hard to get on with, so just sort of agree with her and do things your own way anyway. Not, of course, that I have any experience in such matters," she added hastily. "I take my information from hearsay, naturally."

Maleficent looked at her with one eyebrow raised, to which the princess shrugged sheepishly, then continued. "There is a master key that unlocks every door in the palace. We would just give you the previous butlers copy, but it seems to have disappeared with him." She looked gloomy for a moment. "The queen had another made not too long ago. She will undoubtedly give it to you tonight or tomorrow. But I'm keeping you. You'll need to go to your rooms and get ready. You'll obviously want to look your best at dinner." She blushed just a little. "Not that you don't already look nice, but, I mean…" she trailed off and coughed a bit. "Anyway… you'll want some time to get settled in. I'll send Asmi in a while to help you get prepared."

The room that was reserved for the butler was indeed grand. As large as his rooms in the Hollow Bastion, but so much different. The walls and many of the decorations seemed made of the most exquisite crystal. The window had a sort of strange shimmery filter, probably magical in nature, that kept the light from blinding the rooms occupant, while letting enough in the make the room absolutely stunning with fractured rainbows. The lamp that stood on the end table was made of jade, with a sparkly emerald green shade, and it sent a soft green glow around the room.

"It's so that the light doesn't bounce off the walls and blind you," said a female voice behind him. He whirled around, and saw a woman dressed in colourful silken servant attire, reminiscent of Arabian servants in ancient times. Her hair was long, and lustrously black. "You were staring at the lamp," she said by way of explanation, and swept one side of her hair behind her ear. "You must be Riku. Princess Alicia sent me to make sure that you settle in all right." She went straight to the large closet, and pulled out a white poet-style shirt, velvet midnight-blue leggings, and black boots. "I think these will fit you, and at any rate, the queen will be pleased to see you in them." She tossed them at Riku, then looked at him expectantly. He gazed back at her. She finally laughed. "You've got nerve. I like you. I'll turn around."

With her safely facing the other way, he quickly changed into the clothes she'd given him, and was surprised that they did fit him properly. When she turned back around and looked him over appraisingly. "The queen will be pleased with you. Lucky for Alicia, eh? She's not too good at choosing staff, really. We had the worst time with the last people she hired. I'm almost glad they disappeared with the rest, except that it scares me."


End file.
